As the bed turned to the right and left, the scanner began to piece together all of the elements that make up my body. Muscle mass, tissue, bone, and fat mass were diligently sought after to complete the image of what really makes up my entire body. That muffin top? It'll find it. Jiggly arms? It knows. But that's not what the important part was. The results revealed I am perfectly healthy, if not just hovering over below average in weight. In proportion, my muscle and fat mass are in great condition. What shocked me the most? My bone density.
I am in the lower end of the spectrum, borderline "osteoporosis award winning." Being younger than 25, this baffled me. How could I have done this? Was it my vegan diet in high school? The lack of dairy consumption besides the occasional quesadilla or ice cream bowl? Needless to say, my concern began to grow. Relief arrived in the form of my practitioner saying, "you still have time. Everyone has time to rebuild and preserve their bone mass." It's only a matter of monitoring my diet, integrating more weight-bearing exercise for my noodle-like arms, and taking vitamin D and calcium supplements. Supplements? I take a daily multivitamin, and have been for years. Yet, the science has found that it's never enough.
Multivitamins cover the basics and keep a normally healthy, active person in balance nutrient-wise. If you are unable to consume certain types of foods, or your genetics hinder optimum body functions (did I mention I'm part Chinese?), it is wise to consider which supplements you need to add to your daily regimen.
So, vitamin D, what exactly are you and what do I need to know about you before you become a part of my daily supplement schedule?
A fat-soluble compound, vitamin D is showing up in articles and advertisements everywhere. If you live in an area that's highly polluted or constantly under cloud cover (Seattle native, here) it's likely you've been told that you need vitamin D. But why? What's the problem?
Vitamin D is unique in that it is a natural hormone synthesized within mammal bodies, meaning it does not need to be taken through food, drink, or otherwise. If you expose your skin to sunlight, the process of producing a bio-available form of vitamin D has already begun. The available cholesterol in your body combines with the absorbed ultraviolet rays to cycle through your bloodstream and nourish the cells for a healthy body. This cholesterol and sunlight combination is a compound called cholecalciferol, or vitamin D3. The body can easily use vitamin D3 to benefit the bones, skin, hair, and nails.
Sunlight plays a major role in vitamin D levels. Because this is the most readily available source of vitamin D, most people living in high sun exposed areas are not experiencing these deficiencies. However, a larger proportion of the population are deficient in vitamin D, and osteoporosis affects over 1.5 million people annually. As the number of diagnosed patients continues to rise, utilizing all of our resources and scientific findings to stabilize and lower these issues is vital for preserving our health and vitality.
As you can see, the problem begins at a young age. Poor diet, lack of exercise, and staying indoors (chronic video gamer) can all contribute to the lifestyle that breeds weak bones and osteoporosis later in life. Certain ethinicities and women receive higher rates of diagnosis for weak and brittle bones than do other portions of the population. Taking these into account while you analyze which vitamin D supplement to take can impact how much protection you receive.
So, at this point, I'm convinced a vitamin D3 supplement is the best route to take. Living in the Pacific Northwest, living in a city, working indoors, a lactose intolerance and my Chinese genetics are all playing against my ability to build healthy and robust bones. There's still a problem.
How do I determine which supplement to take? How many mg or IUs a day do I need?
The statistics vary all across the board for daily amounts of vitamin D consumption. To break it down in a general sense, we need greater amounts of vitamin D than we previously thought. Edward Giovannucci, Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology at Harvard Public School of Health, stated that 200 to 400 IU of vitamin D a day did not show great improvement on patients with osteoporosis, but 800 IU showed a lowered risk in the same patients. When supplementing with 1,000 IU, it resulted the greatest protective benefits and reparative improvements. Age and gender always are taken into account, but the body never makes more vitamin D than it needs. Remember, the sun and your diet can add additional sources of vitamin D.
Since I live in a shady area of the planet, I've decided to integrate a 5,000 IU supplement of vitamin D3 into my daily regimen. My diet is not likely to absorb all of the vitamin D3 this will be introducing, but will also help to nourish and rebuild my thin bones. Including my scant sun exposure and daily multivitamin, this should be a perfect amount to preserve and stabilize my bone density for the rest of my life.
But wait; how do I know which brand of vitamin D3?
Brand quality and assurance are extremely important to me. Ensuring that the product I am taking is actually being utilized by my body makes it worth however much the product may be. By investing in my health as soon as I can, this will prevent future troubles and avoiding the exponentially rising medical bills of the future.
Bio-Tech Pharmacal is one of my favorite supplement brands: they integrate a large network of the medical community in their clinical trials for product potency and quality control. This means their commitment to honesty and diversity is a top priority.
Something tells me my bones will be shiny, strong, and ready to carry me through the rest of my adult life after this valuable source of vitamin D3 is implemented into my diet!
No comments:
Post a Comment